Building Cost Estimator
Start from your plot. Enter its area, the FSI and ground coverage, and see how many floors you can build, how high, and what the whole building will cost with basements, parking, lifts, services, land and finance, along with carpet area, a floor-by-floor table, materials, stages and an editable measurement sheet.
A. Land
- Not entered—Add land cost in the form to include it
- Land and legal₹00.0% of total, ₹0 per sq.ft.
B. Building, parking, services and site
- Building at base rate₹4,11,84,00018,000 sq.ft. at ₹2,290 (mid-rise)
- Parking₹69,30,000Details in the Services tab
- Services₹81,98,000Details in the Services tab
- Site₹23,48,000Details in the Services tab
- Utility connections (1%)₹4,12,000Electricity, water and sewer connections
- Hard cost₹5,90,72,00083.5% of total, ₹3,280 per sq.ft.
C. Fees and approvals
- Design and consultants (4%)₹23,63,000
- Building permission, fire NOC and RERA (3%)₹17,72,000
- Project management (3%)₹17,72,000
- Insurance (0.25%)₹1,48,000Contractor all-risk cover
- Legal and administration (0.5%)₹2,95,000
- Soft cost₹63,50,0009.0% of total, ₹350 per sq.ft.
D. Risk, taxes and finance
- Price escalation (0% a year)₹0On hard cost over half of 13 months
- GST on contractor billsoffSwitch on if you cannot claim it back
- Contingency (5%)₹32,71,000
- Interest during construction₹20,46,000₹3,43,46,000 loan at 11% for 13 months, half drawn on average
- Risk, taxes and finance₹53,18,0007.5% of total, ₹300 per sq.ft.
- Total project cost₹7,07,39,000₹3,930 per sq.ft. without land
- Substructure (excavation, foundation)₹41,18,00010% of building cost, ₹230 per sq.ft.
- RCC frame (columns, beams, slabs)₹1,11,20,00027% of building cost, ₹620 per sq.ft.
- Masonry and plaster₹49,42,00012% of building cost, ₹270 per sq.ft.
- Flooring and tiling₹37,07,0009% of building cost, ₹210 per sq.ft.
- Doors and windows₹32,95,0008% of building cost, ₹180 per sq.ft.
- Painting₹20,59,0005% of building cost, ₹110 per sq.ft.
- Electrical₹41,18,00010% of building cost, ₹230 per sq.ft.
- Plumbing and sanitary₹37,07,0009% of building cost, ₹210 per sq.ft.
- Elevation and facade₹16,47,0004% of building cost, ₹90 per sq.ft.
- Waterproofing₹8,24,0002% of building cost, ₹50 per sq.ft.
- Preliminaries and site overheads₹16,47,0004% of building cost, ₹90 per sq.ft.
- Building₹4,11,84,00018,000 sq.ft.
A typical split of building cost by trade. Basements, stilt parking, lifts, services and site works are listed separately.
Quantities come from the measurement sheet below, so they change with the towers and with your sheet edits. Change a rate or a sheet quantity and the construction cost, stages, towers and total all update.
- Core civil materials₹1,49,34,00036% of construction cost
- Other construction cost₹2,62,50,000Labour, electrical and plumbing materials, doors, windows, fittings, formwork, equipment and contractor overheads
- Building construction₹4,11,84,000Materials plus other cost
- Change from your rates and sheet edits+₹0Default materials ₹1,49,34,000, now ₹1,49,34,000. This change flows into every cost, stage, floor and the total.
- Total project cost₹7.07 crore
Per cum of RCC: 8 bags cement, 0.45 cum sand, 0.9 cum aggregate, 110 kg steel. Per cum of brick masonry: 500 bricks, 1.25 bags cement, 0.3 cum sand. Plaster 0.12 bag cement per sq.m. Paint 0.2 litre per sq.m. inside and 0.25 outside for two coats. Custom sheet rows are not included.
1. Design and approvals₹37.6 LMonth 1 to 1, 5.3% of total, 5% spent by the end
- Design and consultants₹16,54,000
- Building permission and fire NOC₹14,18,000
- Contingency₹2,52,000
- Interest during construction₹1,57,000
- Legal and administration₹1,48,000
- Project management₹1,36,000
2. Site set-up and excavation₹20.3 LMonth 2 to 2, 2.9% of total, 8% spent by the end
- Design and consultants₹7,09,000
- Contingency₹2,52,000
- Compound wall and gate₹1,68,000
- Preliminaries and site overheads₹1,65,000
- Interest during construction₹1,57,000
- Rainwater harvesting₹1,50,000
- Insurance₹1,48,000
- Legal and administration₹1,48,000
- Project management₹1,36,000
3. Basement and foundation₹94.2 LMonth 3 to 4, 13.3% of total, 22% spent by the end
- Substructure (excavation, foundation)₹41,18,000
- Stilt parking floor₹13,86,000
- RCC frame (columns, beams, slabs)₹11,12,000
- Sump, overhead tank and pumps₹5,28,000
- Contingency₹5,03,000
- Preliminaries and site overheads₹4,12,000
- Interest during construction₹3,15,000
- Project management₹2,73,000
- Waterproofing₹2,47,000
- Plumbing and sanitary₹1,85,000
- Rainwater harvesting₹1,50,000
- Sewage treatment plant₹1,26,000
- Compound wall and gate₹67,000
4. Superstructure₹2.33 crMonth 5 to 8, 33.0% of total, 54% spent by the end
- RCC frame (columns, beams, slabs)₹1,00,08,000
- Stilt parking floor₹41,58,000
- Masonry and plaster₹19,77,000
- Electrical₹10,30,000
- Contingency₹10,06,000
- Plumbing and sanitary₹9,27,000
- Interest during construction₹6,30,000
- Lifts₹6,00,000
- Preliminaries and site overheads₹5,77,000
- Project management₹5,45,000
- Elevation and facade₹4,94,000
- Sump, overhead tank and pumps₹3,96,000
- Fire fighting₹3,56,000
- Doors and windows₹3,29,000
- Sewage treatment plant₹1,89,000
- Compound wall and gate₹1,01,000
5. Services and finishing₹2.66 crMonth 9 to 11, 37.6% of total, 92% spent by the end
- Flooring and tiling₹33,36,000
- Electrical₹30,89,000
- Masonry and plaster₹29,65,000
- Doors and windows₹29,65,000
- Plumbing and sanitary₹25,95,000
- Lifts₹18,00,000
- Painting₹14,41,000
- Stilt parking floor₹13,86,000
- Elevation and facade₹11,53,000
- Power backup₹7,56,000
- Contingency₹7,55,000
- Fire fighting₹7,13,000
- Interest during construction₹4,72,000
- Paving and landscaping₹4,54,000
- Waterproofing₹4,12,000
- Preliminaries and site overheads₹4,12,000
- Project management₹4,09,000
- Transformer and substation₹4,00,000
- Sump, overhead tank and pumps₹3,96,000
- Sewage treatment plant₹3,15,000
- Utility connections₹2,06,000
- Rainwater harvesting₹2,00,000
6. Testing and handover₹55.7 LMonth 12 to 13, 7.9% of total, 100% spent by the end
- Paving and landscaping₹10,59,000
- Painting₹6,18,000
- Lifts₹6,00,000
- Power backup₹5,04,000
- Contingency₹5,03,000
- Transformer and substation₹4,00,000
- Flooring and tiling₹3,71,000
- Building permission and fire NOC₹3,54,000
- Interest during construction₹3,15,000
- Project management₹2,73,000
- Utility connections₹2,06,000
- Waterproofing₹1,65,000
- Fire fighting₹1,19,000
- Preliminaries and site overheads₹82,000
- Total over 13 months₹7,07,39,000Land in stage 1; fees, contingency, taxes and interest spread by duration
From plot to building
- Plot10,000 sq.ft.929 sq.m.
- FSI allowed1.8Using 100% of it
- Buildable area (built-up)18,000 sq.ft.Plot × FSI × share used
- Ground coverage45%Footprint 4,500 sq.ft.
- Floors neededStilt + 44 floors of about 4,500 sq.ft.
- Building height15.0 m3 m floor to floor
- Carpet area12,960 sq.ft.72% of built-up after walls, lobbies, stairs and lifts
Floor by floor
Floor cost is building plus services, spread evenly. Site works, fees, taxes and finance are in All costs.
Parking
- Stilt parking floor₹69,30,0004,500 sq.ft.
Services
- Lifts₹30,00,0001 lift
- Fire fighting₹11,88,000Extinguishers and hose reels
- Power backup₹12,60,00018,000 sq.ft.
- Sewage treatment plant₹6,30,000
- Sump, overhead tank and pumps₹13,20,000
- Transformer and substation₹8,00,000LT connection and panels
Site
- Compound wall and gate₹3,35,000122 m around a square plot
- Paving and landscaping₹15,13,0005,500 sq.ft. of open area
- Rainwater harvesting₹5,00,000
- Parking, services and site₹1,74,76,000₹970 per sq.ft.
Save the current project as A, change the size, height, structure or floor, then save it as B to compare.
Measurement sheet
Generated from the floor plate, floors, basements and lifts, and updated when you change them. Edit any cell, restore automatic values, add your own rows and download as CSV. Quantity changes flow into materials and the total. All dimensions are in metres.
Quantity = Nos × L × B × H/D for cum, Nos × L × B for sq.m., Nos × L for running metres and Nos alone for numbers.
From plot to building
How big you can build is set by the rules for your plot, not only by your budget. This calculator works that out first.
The three numbers that set the size
- FSI or FAR: total floor area allowed as a multiple of plot area.
- Ground coverage: how much of the plot the building may cover.
- Height limit: often linked to road width and fire access.
Example: 10,000 sq.ft. plot × FSI 1.8 = 18,000 sq.ft. At 45% coverage the footprint is 4,500 sq.ft., so the building needs four floors.
What changes as you go higher
- Lifts become necessary, and more of them as the area grows.
- Fire systems step up above about 15 m in many cities.
- Structure needs larger columns and deeper foundations.
- Parking moves into stilts and basements, which cost more per sq.ft.
How the estimate is built
One base rate covers the building. Parking, lifts, services and site works are separate lines.
Buildable = plot × FSI × share used; floors = buildable ÷ (plot × coverage)
Building = buildable × base rate × location × height factor, plus material rate and quantity changes
Parking = basements × footprint × ₹3,000 and stilt × ₹1,400 a sq.ft.
Services and site = lifts, fire, backup, STP, water, substation, solar, wall, paving
Total = land + hard cost + fees + escalation, GST, contingency and interest
- Residential per sq.ft.Basic ₹1,600Standard ₹2,000Premium ₹2,700
- Commercial per sq.ft.Basic ₹2,000Standard ₹2,500Premium ₹3,400
- Height factorUp to 4 floors ×1.005 to 7 ×1.048 to 15 ×1.10Above 15 ×1.18
- Carpet share of built-upResidential 72%Mixed 74%Office 78%Institutional 70%
Before you build
These approvals decide what you can build and when you can start.
Zoning and FSI
Confirm the permitted use, FSI, coverage, setbacks and height for your plot, and whether extra FSI can be bought or transferred.
Building permission and fire NOC
The development authority approves the plans; high-rise buildings need fire approval before permission and a fire NOC before occupation.
RERA for buildings you sell
Projects with more than eight units or over 500 sq.m. of land must be registered with the state RERA before booking or advertising.
Questions
How does the calculator work out the size of the building?
It starts from the plot. Buildable area is the plot area × the FSI (also called FAR) × the share of FSI you want to use. The footprint is the plot × ground coverage, and the number of floors is the buildable area divided by the footprint. You can also set the floors yourself to test a lower building.
What are FSI and ground coverage?
FSI, or floor space index, is the ratio of total built-up area to plot area allowed by the local development rules. Ground coverage is the share of the plot the building may occupy at ground level. Both vary by city, road width, zone and use, and some cities allow extra FSI on payment, so check your local rules before you rely on the result.
How much does it cost to build a building in India?
The default residential building on a 10,000 sq.ft. plot with FSI 1.8, about 18,000 sq.ft. built-up in a district town with stilt parking and a lift, comes to about ₹7 crore before land. That is about ₹3,900 per built-up sq.ft., or ₹5,500 per carpet sq.ft., including stilt parking, a lift, services, site works, fees, contingency and loan interest. The building alone is about ₹2,300 per sq.ft.
What is the difference between built-up and carpet area?
Built-up area includes walls, lobbies, staircases and lift shafts. Carpet area is the usable floor inside the walls, and it is the area RERA requires flats to be sold on. The calculator uses 72% for residential, 74% for mixed use, 78% for offices and 70% for institutional buildings.
When does a building need lifts and stronger fire systems?
The calculator adds lifts above four floors including stilt, one for about every 25,000 sq.ft., plus a second above 30 m. Above 15 m height it prices hydrants and sprinklers, since many cities treat such buildings as high-rise for fire approval. Your local rules decide the exact thresholds.
How are basements and stilt parking priced?
Each basement level is the size of the footprint at ₹3,000 a sq.ft. before the location factor, covering excavation, retaining walls, waterproofing and ventilation. A stilt floor is priced at ₹1,400 a sq.ft. because it has columns and a slab but few walls or finishes.
Do material rates change the total?
Yes. Material quantities come from the measurement sheet. Change a rate or a sheet quantity and the difference flows through construction, fees, contingency, interest, stages and the total.
What is not included?
Land (unless entered), premium FSI charges, development and impact fees, interiors of individual flats or offices, furniture and brokerage are not included.
Is my data stored?
No. The calculator runs in your browser, loads no third-party scripts and does not ask for contact details. Inputs leave the page only if you copy the link, share on WhatsApp or download the CSV.